ANNIVERSARY
world tour, so we really knuckled down, because we couldn’t afford to miss the exams and be called back for repeats. I’ll tell you when you’ve written the cheque, and you know there’s no refund for mess- ing up your exams, it was one of the best incentives ever.” It was an incentive that worked and the five headed off on a tour that took in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and North America. “I arrived home in Ireland the night before I was due to start work in Stokes Kennedy Crowley!” says Herlihy. After four years with KPMG, he won a Green Card in one of the
lottery programmes, and approached one of the partners to send him to Silicon Valley, which he did. Herlihy subsequently joined Oracle. “I was always interested in technology, and knew that if the oppor-
tunity presented itself I’d head out there.” The rest, as they say, is his- tory, but Herlihy attributes much of his success to the grounding he got in UCD. “Accounting is a fantastic grounding for any career in business,” he
says. “Firstly, it’s perhaps the toughest nine months you’ll ever do, which really sets you up to go into an accounting or consulting firm, or indeed a large multinational, where they drive hard. It gives you an incredible work ethic. “Secondly, you have to assimilate so much data and figure out
what’s relevant and what’s rubbish, it really sets you up for a career in business,” he says. “Basically, the MAcc teaches you to assimilate the information and ask the right questions. It’s a tremendous entry into business. “Of my class, probably only 10% are still in practice today, but probably 80 to 90% are senior businesspeople, many on the boards of significant companies, because they’re strong and well-grounded in business.”
Leader at PwC Ronan Murphy (BComm 78, MBS 79, MAcc 80) is one of those who went the Big Four route, rising all the way to the top at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) where he was elected senior partner in 2007. Having completed a BComm and MBS, he went on to do the the MAcc in 1980, and became a chartered accountant in 1982. “The MAcc (then known as the Diploma in Professional Accountancy) was only starting, and it seemed like a good way to get the professional exams largely behind me before joining PwC,” says Murphy. “It also meant a further enjoyable year in UCD!” He says what he learnt in that year has stood to him ever since. “Aside from the technical aspects, the MAcc allowed me to further
develop my project management and communication skills, as well as learning to appreciate the importance of strong people skills,” he says. “Also, as some of the assignments during the MAcc were group- based, teamwork was very important. “All of this grounding has certainly stood to me over the years as, in business today, people, teamwork and communication skills are essential for strong leadership and for driving business success,” he adds. Murphy joined PwC in 1980 and was admitted to the partner- ship in 1992, following a two-year secondment to PwC in Boston. In 1995, he joined the firm’s leadership team and held a number of operational leadership roles. In 2003, he was appointed as the partner in charge of the firm’s assurance practice, and was elected as PwC’s senior partner in July 2007. Murphy says he has fond memories of his time at UCD. “One of the most important things I took away from UCD was a fantastic
network of both friends and colleagues,” he says. “The relationships from my time at UCD continue to be important and valuable to me, both personally and professionally.” Murphy is delighted with where his career has taken him. “I am privileged to be senior partner of PwC Ireland since July 2007,” he says. “This role allows me to lead and manage Ireland’s largest pro- fessional services firm, where our aim is to support our clients and to help them to create value in their businesses, while at the same time ensuring our people have exciting and rewarding careers.” Like Herlihy, Murphy admits the one-year MAcc is not for the faint-hearted, but says it’s a “very full and demanding programme”. And his advice for anyone thinking of setting out on the MAcc course today? “Being well organised from the beginning of the course will give you a very good head start,” he says. “Also, given the huge volume of material that you will be expected to cover, you can’t really afford to fall behind. “If you have managed to get through your undergraduate course with a period of intensive cramming at the end, this approach will not work on the MAcc,” he cautions. “The trick will be to start work- ing seriously from day one and to keep up to date.”
An anniversary celebration event is planned for early 2011. Be sure to keep an eye on the website for details. If you’re an alumnus of the MAcc, we hope to see you there, where you can catch up with classmates and fellow alumni:
www.ucd.ie/businessalumni/eventsreunions/
UCD BUSINESS CONNECTIONS 39
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